Ahead of England's UEFA Nations League A Matchday 4 clash against the Czech Republic, England manager Thomas Tuchel attended a press conference to answer media questions. The following is the third part of the conference.

Reporter: Hello Thomas, good to see you. Without revealing too much tactically, do you plan to rotate the squad significantly tomorrow night? Or do you intend to stick with the current starting eleven to maintain the incredibly impressive momentum from the last match?
Tuchel: We need to consider both aspects. As we've discussed before, this isn't the first time we've faced the demanding schedule of playing on Saturday and then again on Tuesday. If we had an extra day off and played on Wednesday, I don't think there would be any need for rotation at all. But tomorrow night's situation is indeed a bit delicate; we have one full day less to prepare, and we also had an away flight. Fortunately, the last match was an early kick-off. So, I expect to adopt a balanced approach tomorrow night, with a moderate mix and slight adjustments to the lineup.
Reporter: How eager are you to replicate the dominant performance of the last match in front of your home fans? I'm not suggesting you must score 7-0 again, but rather demonstrate that level of dominance at Wembley. An emphatic away win was spectacular, but replicating that performance at Wembley is clearly the crucial next step.
Tuchel: That's a very pertinent point. If people equate a "performance of equal standard" with a mandatory 6-0 or 8-0 scoreline, then I must temper expectations; such an assumption is entirely misguided. We must never predetermine the outcome of a match. But if our expectation is to maintain the same level of humility, fighting spirit, and intensity in pressing both offensively and defensively, then yes, that is precisely our non-negotiable demand for the team; that is the tactical baseline for England.
The nature of the game itself might be, and indeed will be, completely different, given our opponents' distinct tactical system. Incidentally, the Czech Republic caused Spain significant problems in their previous encounter, and analysis shows a remarkably clear qualitative leap from their first to their third match. They posed very acute tactical challenges on the pitch, and simply looking at the final statistics and scoreline cannot objectively reflect the immense progress of this Czech team. So, as long as our expectations are healthy, our demands for game intensity will never diminish, but we must not harbor unrealistic illusions of sweeping victories or endless scoring opportunities. The last match is in the past; that win was truly magnificent. And in the technical aspects we can control, we aspire to maintain the same highest standards at Wembley, even if the way the game unfolds might be entirely different.
Reporter: You were very objective and rigorous in explaining Alex Scott's situation. But purely from a human perspective, seeing Alex return to AFC Bournemouth with an injury that might keep him out for several months, do you personally feel bad about it?
Tuchel: From a purely human perspective, what pains me is that he has lost the opportunity to play for England again tomorrow night. That's what I regret most. I simply feel sorry for him personally, because we maintained close and open communication throughout the training camp. As I told you, even after being substituted, and even before coming here for a scan the next day, he himself felt no pain whatsoever from an injury. In my overall tactical plan, tomorrow night's match was supposed to be his stage to start.
Reporter: So, from that perspective, as far as AFC Bournemouth and all other relevant parties are concerned, you have a clear conscience, right?
Tuchel: Yes, one hundred percent. I would never take any risks. Even if it's an important opportunity for him, even if we want him to start, as long as I detect even the slightest potential injury risk, I would never jeopardize a player's physical well-being. Our coaching staff would never do anything driven by such self-interest.
Reporter: From a broader perspective, this format of playing four national team matches within a single window is likely to be permanently fixed and continue until 2030 unless FIFA policy changes. Longer training camps, players staying with the national team for longer periods, and similar injury-related decision-making will inevitably increase. In my opinion, even if the team's performance is good, this four-match marathon window has not functioned entirely satisfactorily overall. I believe major European clubs also have reservations about this format.
Tuchel: For clubs plagued by injuries, it's entirely understandable to have resistance, but this is by no means a universal rule; injuries are unavoidable even in shorter windows. Before rushing to conclusions and blaming this format, we must first speak with solid, objective data. Has the injury rate truly risen substantially, or is it merely the cumulative total of injuries from what were previously two fragmented, smaller windows? I don't currently have definitive data to support this. I believe we cannot simply and crudely attribute all unexpected incidents and misfortunes on the field to these two intense weeks of matches. Every injury case is inherently a highly independent, isolated event. If this format is an irreversible reality in the future, we can only adapt to it and maximize preparation efficiency under the existing rules, as we always have.
Reporter: Two weeks ago, when you sat here facing the media, you clearly expressed your disapproval of this fixture arrangement. Now, with the entire window drawing to a close, has your view changed at all?
Tuchel: No, what I initially disliked was having such a lengthy national team window immediately after the prolonged exhaustion of a major tournament. After finishing a major competition, being physically and mentally drained, and then having to organize international travel and prolonged stays in closed training camps, the logistical and psychological demands on players are indeed too stringent. However, it's undeniable that this format also has its positive aspects. Take our impressive performance against Croatia, for example. It was precisely because the entire team could train together consecutively for three matches, gaining a longer period of tactical continuity in the training camp, holding more targeted tactical meetings under the same tactical philosophy, and achieving a high degree of understanding using the same technical and tactical language. You can genuinely see the overall qualitative transformation of the team, with the tactical operations executing in perfect sync, which is undoubtedly a huge benefit.
So far, I believe we have had a high-quality training camp of significant value, and on that point alone, I have no complaints. If you ask me whether I would prefer to split the schedule into three shorter training camps, to give more fringe players the opportunity to showcase themselves in various stages of assessment and earn a call-up, then I would certainly prefer three shorter camps. But reality is as it is, and we must conform to the rules. As I said, to date, we have maximized the positive benefits of this format. The curtain hasn't fully closed yet, but so far, it has been an extremely inspiring and successful training camp.
AF's PC site is now live! Browse full news, comments, match details and stats on your computer. Visit: www.allfootballapp.com
ボーンマス
イングランド
トーマス・トゥヘル
アレックス・スコット
すべてのコメント